How Do I Install Zen Cart(tm)?
PrefaceWarning: NEW INSTALLATIONGetting Started ...This is a basic guide to installing Zen Cart™. If you already have Zen Cart™ installed and wish to upgrade from a previous version to this new release, please see the Upgrade Instructions and the What's New documentation. The BasicsYou have downloaded the Zen Cart™ software for an online shopping cart. Questions to ask yourself ... 1. Do you have a domain?If No, stop ... see our Certified Hosting Sites and find a fast, reliable hosting site that can help you register your own personal domain as well as provide for your hosting needs that meet the Zen Cart™ software requirements ... 2. Do you have FTP software?If No, stop ... you need to obtain a decent FTP software package such as FileZilla (free), FlashFXP or another FTP software program to transfer files back and forth from your computer to your webserver. 3. Do you have a good Text Editor?If No stop ... you will need a good Text Editing software such as UltraEdit, Notepad++ (free), CrimsonEditor (free), BBedit(Mac), Kedit (linux), or some other type of Text Editor for modifying the files in the Zen Cart™ software ... Note: do not use cPanel for editing files, nor MS Word or other software designed for fancy writing ... you want a nice clean Text Editor. You can use the Windows Notepad... but this is limited in capabilities and the size of files that it can open and often can cause more harm than good ... 4. Do you have access to your webhosting control panel to create a MySQL database and user?BEFORE YOU PROCEED, make sure you have access to a MySQL database, and username/password to that database. You may need to create the database using your webhosting account's control panel. Contact your webhosting company for assistance. Zen Cart™ cannot create the database for you. (You need the following permissions on your MySQL user: SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, ALTER, INDEX, DROP. On an hSphere host, this would be "dba" access, or at least read/write. ) All set?If you have answered Yes to all 4 of these questions, then you are ready to go on ... ZIP fileSince you're reading this file, you have likely already unzipped the Zen Cart™ distribution file and its contents into a folder on your personal computer. If for some reason you haven't already done so, unzip the files to your PC now, retaining the file structure within the zip file. Upload the Zen Cart™ fileset to your webserverUpload, via FTP, the whole program into a directory on your server. Example: /catalog What folder do I upload into?Each web host has his/her own preference in naming folders for use in running a website.You can have many files that don't even get shown to the public. The ones that are available for access via a browser are usually in a folder called something like: - /home/YOURNAME/public_html Basically, in your FTP area look for a "www" or "public_html" or "htdocs" or "httpdocs" or "wwwroot" folder. These are the common folder names for what is referred to as the "webroot", which is where all website content is served from. If it's unclear where the publicly-accessible files are to be uploaded, ask your hosting company for assistance in determining what your "webroot" folder should be.
REMEMBER ... this guide uses the "/catalog" folder AS AN EXAMPLE. You don't "have to" use "/catalog". You could use something else, or nothing at all if you prefer to install in the "root" (which is the "base" of your website). Creating the configure.php filesTwo files need to be created on the server. These are the configure.php files that identify the settings of your particular server and the location of the files that you just loaded. After they have been created, you will then need to change the permissions on these files.NOTE: Changing permissions can be done via your FTP program with the chmod feature. Usually clicking right on a directory or filename will open a menu with this option (perhaps under "Properties") On the server locate the file: /catalog/includes/dist-configure.php Rename this file to configure.php and change the permissions to 777 (read-write-execute for all) Next, on the server locate the file: /catalog/admin/includes/dist-configure.php Rename this file to configure.php and change the permissions to 777 (read-write-execute for all) NOTE FOR IIS USERS: If you are using IIS for Windows hosting, the "chmod 777" idea for permissions settings is likely foreign to you. In IIS, under Windows, you need to right-click on the file (or folders in the next section below), and choose Properties. Then under the Security tab, ensure that the"Internet Guest Account", identified usually as: MACHINE_NAME\IUSR_MACHINE_NAME ... has at least "read" and "write" privileges... likely best to give "modify" as well. This should be done on each file/folder indicated. (If the IUSR_MACHINE_NAME account isn't listed, click "Add" and add that account from the list, and then set the required permissions.) (Note: "_MACHINE_NAME" above refers to the "machine name" or "computer name" configured by the server administrator to "name" the server.) Set Permissions on foldersNow, change the permissions on the following directories to 777 (read/write/execute).
Note: open the catalog/images directory and change all of the subdirectories and their subdirectories to 777 as well. For example (this is a partial list):
NOTE: If you miss any of the images directories and subdirectories inside /images and try to use them later, you will get an error message that you cannot write to these directories. As for other folders and files, they can be CHMOD 644, or 444, depending on your webserver configuration. Before Running the InstallerThe installer is fairly intelligent and should be able to automatically supply answers to the questions listed below.You will, however, need to confirm that the auto-detected answers are, in fact, correct as on some servers they may differ. You will need the following information for the installation:
Starting the InstallerIn your browser, enter the URL to your new shop, and the Installer should automatically start.Example: http://www.mydomain.com/catalog - or - to start the installer directly, use: http://www.mydomain.com/catalog/zc_install If you now see a list of filenames and directories, you should speak to your Hosting Site about how to setup your server to auto-detect PHP filename extensions. WelcomeYou will be presented with a "Welcome to Zen Cart™" page, explaining the features of Zen Cart™.LicenseClicking on Continue takes you to the license screen where you are asked to read and confirm acceptance of the GPL licensing agreement.System InspectionNext, it will examine your server for compliance with technical requirements for running Zen Cart™, presenting you with several items you may need or want to address with your host. Anything marked in red or with an "X" must be addressed before the installer can continue. Things marked with an orange or yellow "caution" symbol are simply warnings that may or may not apply to your setup now. The image folders and others as described earlier in this document are also noted. If you make changes to your server, you can click Re-Check or press F5 in your browser to refresh the display and reflect the changes you've made before proceeding.If a previous version of Zen Cart™ is found on your server, the installer will attempt to determine the database patch level and display that on the screen as well. In this case, an "upgrade" button will display at the bottom of the screen offering you the ability to upgrade if needed. See the upgrade instructions. Once you are satisfied that the "pre-flight-check" inspection is OK for your needs (ideally, all green check-marks), you may click the "Install" button at the bottom of the screen. System SetupOn the System Setup page you will need to complete the information we described in "Before Running the Installer" earlier in this document.Indicate if you want to Enable SSL (the secure pages where required, in Login, Checkout, and optionally Admin areas) on your server. If you do not have an SSL certificate yet, do not enable this feature now.It can be changed at a later date. (See the related FAQ here for detailed instructions). Note: If you receive any of the following error messages, go through the above steps to make sure you have not left anything out. All error messages have context-sensitive help via a popup window if you click on the more info... links supplied:
phpBB SetupNext, you will be prompted for phpBB path information. If you have the phpBB forum software already installed on your site, you may enable it for connectivity and synchronization from Zen Cart™. To enable it, specify the path on your server where the phpBB files are located. For example, if they are in ......public_html/forums then you would enter /forums in the Zen Cart™ installer for path to phpBB files.Database SetupOn the next screen, you are asked for Database Information about your MySQL database, username and password. These can be obtained from your cPanel or equivalent control screen provided by your host. If you do not have a clean MySQL database setup with a username and password, you will need to create one.Contact your Hosting site if you need assistance in creating a MySQL database table and/or username and password. Note that you need to have your database and userID created before the Zen Cart™ installer can continue past this screen. Other information on this screen:
Store SetupNow, complete the Store Information about your Shop.Note: except for "demo data", all of the information here can be (re)configured later in the Admin area of your shop. Demo Data
If you would like to install the demo data, select yes. We recommend that you install the demo data to familiarize yourself with many of the examples created that explain and demonstrate the vast number of features available in Zen Cart™. You may also decide later to set up a test site with the demo data AND a separate working site for your live data so that you have the ability to refer back to the demo data for help and to see examples of a feature. This is an excellent way to learn how things work, and then try your hand at setting up your own site and testing to be sure you've done things right. Later on it can be used to help you test an upgrade or test new features you're working on before affecting your live site. After you click Save Store Settings, there will be some hesitation as the database tables are created and the demo data is optionally loaded. You will see some progress indicators as the database is loaded. Admin SetupNow, complete the Admin Information to set your Login name, Admin email address and password.NOTE: both the login name and password are case sensitive. Save the Admin settings and your installation is now complete! Providing there were no errors during installation, you should be able to now enter the Admin or the Catalog. After InstallationWhen you enter the Catalog, you will receive security warnings about the configure.php files and the /zc_install directory.configure.php files You will now want to change the permissions on the configure.php files with chmod 644 (or 444 depending on your server...and sometimes setting 444 cannot be done via FTP, in which case use your host's control panel or file manager to set the permissions level.) These are located here (remember, "catalog" is what we used as an example here -- your site may or may not include "catalog" as a folder name): /catalog/includes/configure.php /catalog/admin/includes/configure.php It would also be a good idea to download a copy of these files to your computer from the server as they have been setup and configured to your server specifications based on the Installation process. If you have any errors or problems, most of these can be corrected by minor adjustments to these two files. zc_install directory Next, you will want to delete the /catalog/zc_install directory (If you are only testing and plan to install again, you could rename the folder to something like: /catalog/zc_install_complete until you take your site live. NOTE: use a different name than zc_install_complete as some hacker may try using it, having read this help file. Do NOT leave a zc_install folder on the server of a live site....for security reasons.) Next StepsFor information on "First Steps To Set Up Your Online Shop", see the Wiki entry discussing a Basic Checklist Once you're set up and ready to start announcing your URL to the public, you should FIRST review Site Security Recommendations to be sure your site is safe and not vulnerable to hackers. The most up-to-date version of this file can be found on the Zen Cart™ wiki under Important Security Recommendations Help and SupportFor additional help and support issues, use our KnowledgeBase and Support Forum.Good Luck with the software and Enjoy the Zen Cart™ Experience!
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